Paul Bass Photo
James Barber, Mychal Brown, Nick Neely count the vote.
Mayor Toni Harp got a reminder Monday night that she faces a tough reelection campaign — a reminder that came on her home turf.
The reminder came in the form of a 21 – 17 vote by the Ward 25 Democratic committee to endorse Justin Elicker over her in the race for this year’s party mayoral nomination. The committee also voted to endorse the reelection candidacies of City Clerk Michael Smart and Ward 25 Alder Adam Marchand, who so far face no opposition.
Ward 25, perenially among the city’s highest-voting districts, mostly encompasses the Westville “flats” bounded by Yale Avenue, Fountain Street, Forest Road, and Chapel Street.
Harp casts her secret ballot.
Monday night’s vote, which took place by secret ballot at a ward committee meeting held in the Edgewood School library, is nonbinding. The ward’s two co-chairs are free to vote however they like next month when they and the party’s 58 other co-chairs formally back a candidate for mayor at a citywide convention. And even then, Elicker and Harp will probably face off in a Sept. 10 primary, no matter who wins the convention.
However, Ward 25’s two co-chairs, Harriet Welfare and Janis Underwood, pledged to cast their convention votes based on Monday night’s ward tally. Which means Elicker starts with two votes. (Ward 25’s co-chairs have made good on that promise in the past: In 2013, then-Co-Chair Mike Slattery was an Elicker supporter, even nominating him at the convention, but then still cast a convention vote for Harp in honor of the ward’s wishes.)
Ward Co-Chair Harriet Welfare.
Monday night’s vote was significant also because Harp lives in Ward 25. And because six years ago, the first time she and Elicker squared off for the mayoral nomination, Ward 25’s Democratic committee voted for Harp 20 – 10 over Elicker (plus five for candidate Henry Fernandez, two for Kermit Carolina, and one for Sundiata Keitazulu). However Elicker then won the Ward 25 vote in both the primary and the general election, besting Harp by more than 2 – 1 in the general election.
At least one ward committee member said he had voted for Harp when the committee gathered in 2013, then switched his vote Monday night to Elicker.
The ward committee member, who declined to be publicly identified, said as he left the meeting that the “tipping point” for him has been the stormy tenure of schools Superintendent Carol Birks, whom Harp and her appointees to the Board of Education hired over popular objections. “It’s been a debacle,” he said of Birks’ tenure. He also criticized the Harp administration’s court fight against enforcing lead paint law.
Ward Co-Chair Janis Underwood with State Rep. Pat Dillon, who offered a legislative update at the meeting along with State Sen. Gary Winfield.
He said he had already been leaning to switching his support because of a feeling that the Harp administration lacks a “broader, more imaginative sense about how to get the city of New Haven in a better social and political place.”
“I don’t know if Justin has that vision. I don’t think Toni does. I’m willing to give Justin a shot,” he concluded.
Elicker, who did not attend Monday night’s event (which was closed to the public), called the result “exciting, because it’s the first ward committee vote. I know the people take it very seriously.”
He also pointed out that New Haven has 30 wards. “We will be working to get every ward committee to support our campaign,” he emphasized.
Harp takes a seat before the meeting begins in the Edgewood library.
Harp, who is seeking a fourth two-year term, said Monday night’s vote reflects the campaign itself.
“It was close,” she said of the vote. “It’s going to be close.”